diverging ending
by estrangedlestrange
Summary: or five timelines Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus could have returned to after São Paulo and the one they did return to. Lyatt but with alternate timelines where Garcy could have been.


Once familiar, the erratic shaking of the Lifeboat in motion left all three travelers feeling ill. Although, the lingering sickness they felt, even when the time machine came to its usual abrupt halt, was, for all of them, due to the worry of what could be on the other side of the hatch, rather than the trip itself. If everything had gone as planned, if Lucy had said the right things, written the proper words, then when the door rolled open, they would be home. Back to the world they left, the people that they loved, everything unchanged. If, somehow, she had done something wrong. If she had said the wrong thing to Flynn, written about one of their trips incorrectly, any discrepancy, really, they would be returning to an entirely new world.

Rufus looked back and forth between Lucy and Wyatt. The three had been best friends for so long, partners for even longer, that the husband and wife knew his question without it being voiced. Wyatt nodded, telling Rufus silently to open the hatch. All three bursting at the seams with eagerness and fear, they moved for the tight space before the hatch had finished opening. Lucy was the first out, stepping forward with one leg to perch herself on the edge of the open hatch. Her husband followed close behind her, leaning against the side of the hatch. Leaning forward from his seat, Rufus filled in the space between them. At once, they all let out a breath.

* * *

I

* * *

The bunker seemed, if possible, grungier than ever before, if that were possible. It was dark and cold, the warmth that had filled the space after defeating Rittenhouse had vanished. They did not know what to expect when the hatch opened, but it certainly was not a dirtied Jiya, clad in what appeared to be military fatigues, aiming a machine gun at the door. Agent Christopher and Mason were nowhere in sight but, behind the computer console, stood Garcia Flynn. Everyone, from both realities, froze at the sight of the others.

Jiya lowered her gun, her jaw slack and eyes wide, as she gasped, "Rufus?" In response, Rufus pushed past Lucy and jumped to the floor, moving to take Jiya into his arms. Abandoning her gun, Jiya ran forward, throwing herself into Rufus' arms and pulling him close. All the while she spoke, hoarse cries of him being dead, of how much she missed him, of how much she _loved _him, that he was _alive_. As the couple reunited, Lucy and Wyatt climbed down from the Lifeboat and looked around the bunker bewildered. This was not the reality left.

"Where are they?" Lucy asked, turning to Flynn, pleading, "Are they here?"

"Is who here, _draga_?" Flynn replied, coming around the console towards her. He had his arms open, ready to pull her into an embrace. Panicked, Lucy stepped back, bracing herself against Wyatt. Instinctively, Wyatt's arms went around her, pulling her close. Seeking safety, seeking comfort, Lucy buried her face against his shoulder. She wanted to have a more positive reaction to seeing Flynn alive. He had sacrificed himself for them five years ago. He had given her everything good in her life, intentionally or not. Her travels through time. Her daughters. Wyatt. She had all of that because of Flynn. But looking around the bunker, at the heartbreak in Flynn's eyes that appeared when she shied away from his contact, Lucy realized it was all gone.

"You're not from this timeline," Flynn said slowly, voicing what everyone already knew. Lucy shook her head, tears already falling as the horrible truth of the situation slowly settled deep within her heart. They weren't in the right timeline. They had left and returned to a foreign world. A foreign reality. A reality where her daughters, her sweet beautiful daughters, were gone. The tears she felt dampening her hair silently told her Wyatt realized the same thing.

From a few feet away, where she still clung desperately to Rufus, Jiya said, "So what changed?"

"And how do we fix it?" Wyatt added, tightening his hold on Lucy.

* * *

II

* * *

The triumphant but anxious feeling that had filled the time machine disappeared in an instant when the hatch rolled open. The bunker, familiar, often dreary, and once their bizarre version of home, was empty. Jiya, Denise, Mason, they were all gone. Or, more aptly put, never there. Considering the layers of dust, the sheets draped over all the furniture, and the overwhelming darkness, nobody had been in the bunker in a very long time. Lucy climbed out of the Lifeboat first, calling out for her daughters, for Jiya, for anybody. Her voice echoed against the empty metal walls. There was nobody else. Rufus and Wyatt followed quickly after her, eyes darting around the blackness of the bunker, hoping to find a sign of the life they knew. Turning to the two men, Lucy asked, "What do we do now?"

"First things first," Wyatt replied, taking her hand into his, "We get out of the bunker."

Rufus agreed, quipping, "That's always your first thought, Wyatt." His humor, however, did not mask the terror he was feeling. That all three of them were feeling. Where was everyone? Were they gone, like Amy? Had they never existed? Or were they simply somewhere else, a different headquarters than the one the Lifeboat returned to.

* * *

III

* * *

Somewhere between the past and the present the motion of the Lifeboat stopped. Everything stopped. The shaking, the spinning, the breathing. It all disappeared. Erased.

* * *

IV

* * *

All three time travelers froze where they were, looking over the bustling bunker. When they had left, the bunker had been all but empty, aside from Jiya, Denise, and Mason anxiously awaiting their return, and two four-year-olds, peacefully asleep on army regulation cots. The bunker they returned to was filled with people, mostly strangers, except for a few horrifyingly familiar faces. Standing behind the computer console, was an annoyed looking Emma Whitmore. Pushing the stairs to the Lifeboat, was a smiling Jessica Logan. And standing in the center of the bunker, clearly controlling the organized chaos around her, was Carol Preston. Anxiously glancing between Wyatt and Rufus, Lucy slowly climbed down to the ground. As she walked past Jess, she got a pat on the back and a congratulations. Cautiously, Wyatt and Rufus followed behind her. When Wyatt reached the bottom of the stairs, Jess wrapped her arms around him, pressing an enthusiastic kiss to his lips. Wyatt tensed in her arms. Concerned, Jess asked him if everything was alright. Stiffly, Wyatt nodded. Everything was _not_ alright, but there was no way he could say that. None of them could voice the dread they were feeling. They had stepped out of their safe world and into the middle of Rittenhouse operations. The worst part was, they seemingly belonged. The them of whatever timeline they had stumbled into were Rittenhouse.

As Lucy neared her mother, Carol opened her arms, welcoming her into a hug. Unsure what else to do, Lucy returned the embrace. Nausea churned in her stomach, disgusted with herself for welcoming a hug from the mother who betrayed her. But part of her, a traitorous part of her, was happy. She was being held by her mother. Maybe not the mother who raised her, the one she had loved, but her mother, nonetheless. Her mother who she had been without for five years. For a moment, Lucy let herself enjoy it. Enjoy her mother being alive. But then her mother pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and said softly, "You did good, sweetheart. You've made Rittenhouse so proud."

Lucy froze. Horror sinking in. She was part of Rittenhouse. _They _were part of Rittenhouse. She was suddenly living her deepest, darkest, nightmare. Whatever they had changed, whatever brought Rittenhouse back and made them members of the secret organization, it had to be reversed. None of them could live in this world, in a world where they were part of the evil, in a world where they were evil.

* * *

V

* * *

Relief surged through the three time travelers. At the foot of the Lifeboat stood their friends, their family, smiling up at them. Everything seemingly unchanged. After a celebratory moment, Jiya stepped forward, moving the stairs to the hatch to allow a safe exit for the trio. Being in the doorway, Lucy was the first down, followed closely by Wyatt and Rufus. "They're still here?" Lucy asked, looking around the bunker. Nothing looked changed, they had to be there, "Flynn and Amy?"

From behind her, Lucy heard heavy footsteps and a deep laugh, "We're right here. Someone just needed her diaper changed before mama got home."

Lucy spun around, her heart pounding. At the entrance to the hangar space stood Garcia Flynn, a baby girl, no older than one, in his arms. "No, no, no, no," Lucy said, shaking her head back and forth. This was _wrong_. That was not the Flynn and Amy she had been asking about. Sinking to her knees, Lucy wrapped her arms around herself. She had messed up. Something she had said, something she had done, had erased her daughters and brought Garcia Flynn back to her life.

"Lucy?" Flynn asked, taking long strides towards her. At the same time, Wyatt called her name, dropping down beside her and pulling her to his chest. Letting out a sob, Lucy buried herself in Wyatt's embrace. Barely more than a foot away from them, Flynn stopped. His eyes roved over Lucy and Wyatt before asking softly, "This isn't your reality, is it?"

"No," Rufus replied, from where he stood with the others, an arm draped around Jiya's shoulders, "But it's good to see you alive, man."

Later, after the time travelers told the others their history and they heard about the timeline they had stepped into, Lucy sat on the floor of the hallway. The cool metal against her back was the only sensation that didn't overwhelm her. Tucking in her arms was a baby. Her baby. A baby she had never carried, never birthed, never met, but was her baby, nonetheless. A different hers baby. Wyatt sat beside her, his back also against the wall. It was a familiar position. From years ago. From what felt like a different life, what was in some ways a different life.

"She kind of looks like Flynn," He said softly, eyes on the soft face of the sleeping baby, "Our Flynn, I mean."

"You think?" Lucy asked, her voice hoarse. She had cried up all her tears hours ago and was left with just an empty feeling. Her daughters were gone and in their place was this baby, a baby she didn't want to resent, but she did. Even as she held the baby, which was the only thing that had stopped baby Amy's crying, Lucy resented her. Flynn and Amy, _her_ Flynn and Amy, her precious daughters never existed so that the baby in her arms could. Lucy didn't want that.

"Yeah," Wyatt said, reaching out to run a finger down the rosy cheek of baby Amy, "The shape of her nose, her lips, the dimples. It all looks like her."

Sighing, Lucy looked down at the baby, "All I see is Flynn. Garcia Flynn. And all I want is our Flynn and Amy back."

"We'll fix this, Luce," Wyatt replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. His voice was hoarse, too, due to the tears that were slowly sliding down his cheeks. "We'll get them back." Lucy nodded, not sure if she believed him.

* * *

I

* * *

Relief surged through the three time travelers. At the foot of the Lifeboat stood their friends, their family, smiling up at them. Everything seemingly unchanged. After a celebratory moment, Jiya stepped forward, moving the stairs to the hatch to allow a safe exit for the trio. Being in the doorway, Lucy was the first down, followed closely by Wyatt and Rufus. "They're still here?" Lucy asked, looking around the bunker. Nothing looked changed, they had to be there, "Flynn and Amy?"

Denise nodded, a soft smile on her lips, "Still asleep in your old room, just like you left them."

Lucy and Wyatt both let out heavy sighs. They had been so worried, so terrified, because one mistake could have meant their daughters were gone. Letting out a laugh, Lucy threw her arms around Wyatt. They had done it. They had succeeded. It was finally over. Wyatt pulled her tight, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You did it."

Shaking her head, Lucy replied with a smile as she looked out at the whole team, "We did it."

"It's done," Rufus said, letting out a laugh. A triumphant feeling filled the room, as the realization washed over them. It was over. No more Rittenhouse. No more time traveling. No danger of it all coming undone. They were all free. With a booming voice, Mason declared that the situation required champagne and that he had brought some with him for that very reason.

Meeting Wyatt's stare, Lucy told their ragtag family, "Get started without us, we're gonna check on the girls." Wyatt nodded and, with Lucy tucked under his arm and flush to his side, walked with her out of the hangar. None of it felt real for either of them, finally being free. No threat of a timeline shift, of a divergent reality smashing through their lives. It was really over. It was hard to keep the rusty door quiet as it opened, but Wyatt did his best. As they stepped into the familiar room, their old cots pushed together, relief washed over the couple. Hearing Denise tell them the girls were still there was soothing, but it wasn't enough. But seeing them, curled up together and heavy blankets, their stuffed animals pulled close to their chests, and their chests evenly rising with the heavy breathing of sleep, was what Wyatt and Lucy really needed.

A tear slid down Lucy's cheek at the sight of them. They looked exactly as they had left them. Amy in her cowboy pajamas, her worn out rabbit under head. Flynn in her dinosaur pajamas, her teddy bear pulled tight to her chest. They were there. They existed. Lucy let out a watery laugh, stepping forward into the room. Wyatt followed behind her, holding back tears himself. They both sat down on the bed, one on either side of their daughters. Running loving hands through their hair, tucking them tighter into the blankets, confirming they were real. Looking over their daughters, Lucy met Wyatt's gaze again. She smiled at him. Words weren't needed. They both knew what the other had to say. They had the ending they deserved. Finally.

* * *

**A/N: ****I originally wanted this fic to be longer, but I'm actually pretty happy with it being just short snippets. I might eventually add a follow up fic, especially for timeline 5, but for now this is it. I hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts if you get the chance!**


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